The third edition of the World Test Championship kicks off in the sweltering south with Galle set to host the curtain-raiser as Sri Lanka lock horns with Bangladesh on Tuesday. This time around, the Sri Lankans have the luxury of playing India and South Africa at home in addition to Bangladesh, while away tours to West Indies, New Zealand and Pakistan lie ahead. Its not a bad schedule at all.

In the last cycle  which came to a climax at Lords this week with Australia squaring off against South Africa in the final  Sri Lanka flirted with a spot in the big dance but ultimately fell short. Four straight losses  two in the Rainbow Nation and two in their own backyard  left them stumped. Most fans remember the defeats in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Galle, but few rewind to where it all unraveled.

It began with a home series against Pakistan in 2023, where Sri Lanka were caught napping and lost both Tests. From then on, they were playing catch-up cricket, chasing shadows instead of dictating terms.

This time, they can ill afford to hit the snooze button. In a competition where momentum is everything, its not just about starting well  its about staying in the hunt and finishing like a freight train.

After the opener in Galle, the action shifts to Colombo, with the second Test scheduled at SSC. Sri Lanka will walk in as favourites.

This series also marks a changing of the guard. Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lankas most prolific opening bat, has called time on a storied career spanning for 15 years. A rock at the top, he leaves big boots to fill. And after the first Test, Angelo Mathews  another old warhorse  will bid adieu, bringing down the curtain on a career that began in 2009.

The selection conundrum now is who slots in where. Lahiru Udara has been knocking on the door with truckloads of runs in domestic cricket, but will the selectors hand him the key or stick with Oshada Fernando, whos been warming the bench as backup opener?

Then comes the Mathews question. Who takes over the No. 4 slot, the spine of any Test side? Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Sonal Dinusha have put their hands up with strong performances for the A team, and Pawan Ratnayake is now in the mix too. Of the trio, only one will get the nod  but who has the temperament to wear that cap?

Another twist in the tale: will the replacement bat at four, or will the selectors reshuffle the deck? Kamindu Mendis, the elegant left-hander with a golden 2024 behind him, has steadily climbed the order and seems the frontrunner for that prime real estate.

Meanwhile, skipper Dhananjaya de Silva is under the pump. Hes clung onto the captaincy largely due to the absence of viable alternatives, but his leadership has lacked bite. With four straight Test losses under his belt and a batting slump thats seen him go ten games without a century, his place is under the scanner. Waiting for things to happen wont cut it anymore  its time he grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.

Sri Lanka s spin department has its own selection headache. Prabath Jayasuriya is a shoo-in, but who will partner him? Offies Nishan Peiris and Ramesh Mendis have both been given the ball  and the benefit of the doubt  but neither has nailed it. Peiris, with just three caps, still has room to grow. Mendis, on the other hand, after 16 Tests, is still struggling to bowl six balls in the same postcode.

by Rex Clementine ✍️